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Danville Public Library Blog

Ways to Reach your Winter Reading Goals!

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Picture of a girl in cozy winter clothing More ways to reach Reading Goals Newspaper Audiobooks eBooks

We’re halfway through the Winter Reading Program! So many people have read so many books, but did you know that reading physical books isn’t the only way to reach your reading goals? There are so many things that count as reading time, and probably many that you already do!

Reading the newspaper

Do you have the Commercial-News delivered to your door? Maybe you prefer to catch up with the New York Times or The Wall Street Journal online. Or you’re fascinated with articles on sites like Substack or Longreads. All of that is reading! Log the time you spend growing your news literacy to earn badges.

Daily Reading Habits

Do you have readings that you have to do for school? Maybe you spend some time regularly reading trade manuals for your job. Or you have a habit of reading a devotional, meditation and/or religious text daily. You can log that in Beanstack to track how much that reading adds up in your life.

Listening to Audiobooks

Listening to an audiobook can activate the same parts of your brain as reading a book. So why not take advantage of having someone read you a story while you do your chores? Or you could learn something new with one of our many non-fiction audiobooks. Listen to thousands of audiobooks for free through the library by downloading the Libby or Hoopla apps on your phone or tablet.

Reading eBooks

The Libby and Hoopla apps also offer thousands of eBooks! Do you find yourself scrolling mindlessly through social media only to find that it’s damaging your mental health? I sure do. One thing I’ve found helpful is to download an eBook and read that at times that I would be scrolling. Give it a try- maybe it will work for you. Plus you can log that reading time and be impressed at how much time you’ve put into a healthy habit!

Listening to (some) podcasts

Did you know there are podcasts out there that read stories to you? LeVar Burton Reads is one of the most popular podcasts, but it’s not the only one! The Writer’s Voice features authors reading their own works. There are also story podcasts for kids such as the charming Julie’s Library from Julie Andrews.

Fanfiction

Do you ever find yourself wondering what happened after a movie ends? Or maybe you were really mad at a choice an author made for your favorite character and you wish you knew what would happen if they did something different. Or you prefer a different couple than the one that ends up together at the end of the series. Fanfiction’s got your back. Chances are, someone on Archive Of Our Own or Fanfiction.net has had the same thought as you and wrote a story about it. Just make sure you have your filters set to the type of content you’re comfortable with and enjoy the ride.

We hope that you’ve found out that you do a lot more reading than you thought you do! And we look forward to seeing more minutes stack up on your Beanstack accounts. Good luck reaching your personal reading goals!

Local Author Spotlight: Brian K. Morris

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Here at Danville Public Library, we are proud to feature the works of more than 150 local authors. Each Monday, we are featuring one of our beloved local authors by sharing a bit about them and their work.

This week, we feature local author, Brian K. Morris.

We asked him a few questions about his past and present work, his favorite books, and what his writing process is like.

What made you decide to start writing? Did you (or do you currently) have another career?

I’ve always been a storyteller. When I was young and I finished reading my comic books, I’d make up stories about the characters until the next issue came out. Eventually, I figured out someone got paid to put words in those balloons, so why not me? Also, in seventh grade, I delivered a “What I Did Over My Christmas Vacation” where poor word placing made my teetotalling parent sound like THEY were lit up, instead of our tree. My teacher ratted me out and the parents made their objections clear to me. After that, I decided to get better at this writing thing.I have worked as a cable TV cameraman, clerk in two book stores, a manager trainee for a national retail chain, managed two comic shops and owned one, worked for WILL-AM-FM-TV, baked donuts, worked in construction, and my final job was working for Illinois American Water before becoming a full-time writer.

What do you love about writing? What is challenging about it?

The act of creating a work of fiction that not only entertains but perhaps inspires as well. I also love my tribe in the creative community. They are a blessing that I never take for granted.The challenge comes with balancing real-life responsibilities, such as house upkeep and promoting my work, with the best job I’ve ever had in my life. I also seem to have a problem with saying no to writing opportunities with people I respect and admire.

Do you have a writing routine? Daily? Whenever the fancy hits you?

I treat my writing like a job. I do it every day, taking time off only when I’m traveling or when I’m ill. I don’t wait for my muse to call. I hunt that creative spirit down with a club, like Jack London used to say.

Which of your books gave you the most pleasure in writing? Which was the hardest?

Now THAT’S a tough question. My soon-to-be-released book, The Terrors, was so much fun because I gave myself some creative challenges while working on a new version of some characters I enjoyed. I also serialized the first draft of the story on my Patreon account and I’m relieved to learn my friends are enjoying it.The hardest book I ever wrote was a sword and sorcery tale that I penned right after I graduated from Danville Junior College, now DACC. I’d never written a novel before but I plugged at it to find when I was done, that were was absolutely NO single idea worth saving from a very dull story. When I moved to Indiana, I made sure the manuscript was completely destroyed, it was THAT embarrassing. In fact, I didn’t even finish the first draft of a novel for another few decades.

What’s one piece of advice you’d offer to young or beginning writers?

Don’t give up your dream of creating. Even when your friends are ganging up to tell you you can’t be a creative spirit, that the odds against you are too great, do it to spite them, and do it despite them. 

You’re stranded on an island with one book (written by another author). Which book did you bring?

My answer will change tomorrow. It might not even survive the next hour. But my go-to would be Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. It was the first “grown-up” book I ever read so it has a special place in my heart.

Any books in progress at the moment? Expected publishing date?

I’m currently editing The Terrors and hoping for a release in the first quarter of 2022, as well as ghostwriting a book for another publisher. I also plan to write the sequel to Vulcana: Rebirth of the Champion and release some short story works in the next year.

We’re so grateful for this author’s participation in our featured post. Be sure to check out all of Brian’s books on the shelves at Danville Public Library!

Friday Reads: Ratification Day

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Today marks the 238th anniversary of the ratification of the Treaty of Paris, on January 14, 1784.

This treaty marked the official end of the American Revolutionary War, with the United Kingdom recognizing the sovereignty and autonomy of the United States of America.

Here are just a few of the books featured at Danville Public Library that center on the years of the American Revolution.

George Washington’s Secret Six: The spy ring that saved the American Revolution, by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger

When General George Washington beat a hasty retreat from New York City in August 1776, many thought the American Revolution might soon be over. Instead, Washington rallied—thanks in large part to a little-known, top-secret group called the Culper Spy Ring.

Washington realized that he couldn’t beat the British with military might, so he recruited a sophisticated and deeply secretive intelligence network to infiltrate New York. So carefully guarded were the members’ identities that one spy’s name was not uncovered until the twentieth century, and one remains unknown today.

But by now, historians have discovered enough information about the ring’s activities to piece together evidence that these six individuals turned the tide of the war.

Drawing on extensive research, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger have painted compelling portraits of George Washington’s secret six.

 

The Whiskey Rebels, by David Liss

Ethan Saunders, a former spy for George Washington, is recruited by Alexander Hamilton to find his ex-fiancee’s missing husband.

Meanwhile, Joan Maycott and her veteran husband, amid hardship and deprivation on the western Pennsylvania frontier, find unlikely friendship and a chance for prosperity with a new method of distilling whiskey. The Maycotts’ success however attracts the brutal attention of men in Hamilton’s orbit, men who threaten to destroy all Joan holds dear.

As their causes intertwine, Joan and Saunders–both patriots in their own way–find themselves on opposing sides of a daring scheme that will forever change their lives and their new country.

 

 

 

 

 

The end of the American Revolutionary War: the colonists defeat the British at Yorktown, by Allison Stark Draper.

This book briefly surveys the Revolutionary War and describes the battle at Yorktown which forced the British to surrender and ended the war. It takes the reader through the final stages of the Revolutionary War, from battle to surrender to peace, in a memorable and accessible manner.

 

 

 

 

 

Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Book 1 of the “Seeds of America” trilogy by author Laurie Halse Anderson, Chains explores the story of Isabel, a slave during the American Revolutionary War. When their owner dies at the start of the Revolution, Isabel and her younger sister are sold to Loyalists in New York, where Isabel is offered the chance to spy for the Patriots. As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight for freedom.

Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel.

When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.

 

Book Review: A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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This is the first novel featuring Sherlock Holmes. As an introduction, it’s perfect. Almost. The book comes in two parts. The first part is Holmes meeting Watson and working their first case together. The second part follows the story of the murderer, detailing his background and motive. At the end of that section the two stories join and the murderer relates his tale to Holmes, Watson, and the police.

The first part is obviously the best, since it features Holmes. After all, he is the reason I read the book, so it was a little disappointing to have him absent from nearly half of it. On the other hand, this is the first Holmes book, so Conan Doyle had very little way of anticipating the draw his detective would have on the audience.

I already know the character so well, from a variety of film and TV adaptations, that I couldn’t help but smile at everything that I recognized and all the little details that I knew would figure in later, like testing poison on Watson’s dog. I highly recommend this to any Holmes fan. The book is fast and fresh. It may be over 100 years old, but it doesn’t feel like it. Go for it!

Review by Jessica, Assistant Director at Danville Public Library.

 

Book Review: Little House on the Prairie

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Little House on the Prairie

By Laura Ingalls Wilder

My soon-to-be 80-yr.-old cousin mentioned to me that she had read Little House on the Prairie as a child and enjoyed it so much. She wanted to read it again. I found her a book that was as close as that 1950’s copy as I could get. Of course, before I mailed it off to her, I just had to read it myself again! What a joy!

Something special happens when you read a children’s classic through adult eyes. You see everything in a new light. I appreciate the author’s choice of words, her descriptive phrases and her development of the characters. I see the events in the story through my knowledge of the time period but as told by her as a young child. I marvel that she can recall these every day events from her childhood growing up on the Western Frontier and present them in the way that puts us, the readers, into the story, reliving it with her.

Laura Ingalls Wilder published the first book in the series in 1932 when she was 65 and completed the last book when she was 76. It took her years to work and rework her autobiography into the beloved “Little House” series that has endeared us to her.

I must admit that I already have images in my mind of the characters and they look a lot like Michael Landan, Melissa Gilbert and the others from the classic television show “Little House on the Prairie.”

I also must admit that I am now reading the whole series from start to finish and enjoying it very much. If I must cozy up with a good book this winter, this is a great series to keep me company!

Reviewed by Melody Williams

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